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FILED NOT FOR PUBLICATION FEB 18 2010 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS U .S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, No. 09-10218 Plaintiff - Appellee, D.C. No. 1:08-CR-00495-HG-2 v. MEMORANDUM * DARWIN LEONES, Defendant - Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii Helen Gillmor, Senior District Judge, Presiding Submitted February 9, 2010 ** Honolulu, Hawaii Before: FARRIS, D.W. NELSON and BEA, Circuit Judges. Darwin Leones appeals his jury conviction for aiding in the use of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense, a violation of
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1), on the * This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3. ** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). ground there was insufficient evidence to support that such a drug trafficking offense occurred. Leones raised the insufficiency of evidence issue for the first time in his reply brief. This court “will not ordinarily consider matters on appeal that are not specifically and distinctly argued in appellant’s opening brief.” Miller v. Fairchild Indus., Inc.,
797 F.2d 727, 738 (9th Cir. 1986); see also F ED. R. A PP. P. 28(a)(5). Assuming, arguendo, that the issue is not waived, Leones’ argument is meritless. “The standard of review for determining the sufficiency of the evidence ‘is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.’” United States v. Inzunza,
580 F.3d 894, 899 (9th Cir. 2009) (quoting Jackson v. Virginia,
443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)) (emphasis in Jackson). The record is replete with evidence that Leones and his colleagues acquired, possessed and distributed more than enough methamphetamine to establish the factual predicate required for Mr. Leones’ conviction. The parties do not dispute that Leones used a gun in furtherance of this conduct. AFFIRMED. 2
Document Info
Docket Number: 09-10218
Citation Numbers: 365 F. App'x 866
Filed Date: 2/18/2010
Precedential Status: Non-Precedential
Modified Date: 1/12/2023